Agrichemical Spraydrift

Agrichemicals are chemicals used in agricultural production. Many of them are used as sprays to control insects or other pests, weeds or plant diseases. Sometimes - due to weather conditions, the nature of the landscape (hills, shelterbelts, etc) and the way the operator carries out the spraying - the spray drifts away from the target crop or area. This is known as spraydrift.

Effects

Spraydrift can affect your health, how badly will depend on such things as the extent of the drift, the chemical makeup of the spray, and the concentration of the spray. If you have concerns about your health, after there has been spraying in your area, contact your doctor or health professional.

Rules or regulations

There is one golden rule: If you're planning to spray, let your neighbours know well in advance!

You should also be aware that:

Under the Resource Management Act, Environment Bay of Plenty is responsible for the control of spraying anywhere in the region - the Proposed Regional Air Plan sets out what operators can and can not do.

Health protection authorities are obliged to investigate reports from people who feel their health has been affected by spraydrift. Under the Health Act, poisoning arising from chemical contamination is a notifiable disease.

Under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry regulations spraydrift damage to other properties (mainly plant damage) could result in the initiation of criminal proceedings.